The U.N.: Threat or Menace?
POSTED BY: Geezer
UPDATED: Saturday, March 28, 2026 17:52
VIEWED: 3813
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A couple of books critical of the U.N. have shown up on the 'new books' shelves of the local libraries.
One is "The Global War on Guns", by Wayne LaPierre, executive VP of the NRA. He notes that most U.N. initiatives concerning the 'illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons' seem to be focused on individual sporting firearms owners, rather than stuff like heavy machine guns and rocket launchers used by paramilitaries. He also mentions the U.N.s almost complete inability to prevent, or even define, genocide, and the pervasive sexual exploitation of people being 'protected' by U.N. Peacekeepers.
The other is "The U.N. Exposed" by correspondent Eric Shawn, who covers the U.N. for Fox News. His book spends a good bit of time on the "Oil for Food" scandal, noting that France, Russia, and China blocked any meaningful oversight of the program, while actively contraverting it by selling weapons to Iraq (some of which were used to down American planes and destroy U.S. tanks. When this was brought to the attention of the U.N. Secretatiat, nothing was done.
I especially enjoyed the saga of Benon Sevan, the Oil for Food progran director, who claimed that the $160,000 cash he deposited wasn't from oil allocations, as shown in Iraqi files, but gifts from his aunt, who lived in Cyprus on a $1,200.00 a month pension. Unfortunately she was unable to confirm this, having fallen down an elevator shaft to her death right after the Volcker commission began investigating the program
In the interest of fairness, I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a book or two which portray the U.N. in a better light.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Quote:
The U.N.: Threat or Menace?
Can't it be both?
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The UN is funded by the US... I say kick'em out of NYC let'em fend for them selves. Well' it's true
I live in NYC. I get to watch these drunkin diploooo types make asses of them selves on the American dime...Fuck 'em
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I'd say it's more of a threat- for its incompetence. It's only a menace to African women who get raped by UN 'Security' forces and the Iraqi children who died because of the Food for Oil scam.
The U.N. definatly needs to be removed from NYC. It's nothing but a huge tax burden on the city/state, and has been nothing but a thorn in the side of the USA.
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
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The U.N.: Threat or Menace?
It's so hard to decide. Is it a more red shade of orange or a less red shade of orange in terms of danger?
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Quote:
Originally posted by kaneman:
The UN is funded by the US... I say kick'em out of NYC let'em fend for them selves. Well' it's true
I live in NYC. I get to watch these drunkin diploooo types make asses of them selves on the American dime...Fuck 'em
I can't believe I'm saying this...I...I...I...I agree with Kaneman. *twitch*
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Bump.
I disagree. But I love the framing of the question.
But Auraptor is right. Its incompetence is the main problem. I know two people who worked for it. They both said it was the most incompetent institution imaginable. Both were moderate liberals at the time, one a Labor supporter who has since gone tory, and the other a once avid democrat now independent.
They're like an international FEMA. What they should be is a big table where everyone can talk. That's what they should be. Where they went wrong was when they decided they wanted to be world cop. It's a bad thing to have, and they do it badly.
In a well designed world, the UN would be where Osama Bin Laden could send a guy to negotiate with a guy sent by Ohlmert. It would be a tough negotiation, but eventually, they might actually start thinking about each other as human beings.
But when the UN marches into the war zone, it seems to make what would be peace if everyone played by the rules, but instead ends up as genocide of those who play by the rules which is committed by those who don't.
Or as Auraptor says, to rape and pillage.
But I disagree that it should be kicked out of New York, it just needs radical reform to be what it was intended to be: an international table for negotiation, nothing more. ie. It doesn't need to be kicked out of NYC. It needs to be kicked out of everywhere else in the world.
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Bump.
I disagree. But I love the framing of the question.
But Auraptor is right. Its incompetence is the main problem. I know two people who worked for it. They both said it was the most incompetent institution imaginable. Both were moderate liberals at the time, one a Labor supporter who has since gone tory, and the other a once avid democrat now independent.
They're like an international FEMA. What they should be is a big table where everyone can talk. That's what they should be. Where they went wrong was when they decided they wanted to be world cop. It's a bad thing to have, and they do it badly.
In a well designed world, the UN would be where Osama Bin Laden could send a guy to negotiate with a guy sent by Ohlmert. It would be a tough negotiation, but eventually, they might actually start thinking about each other as human beings.
But when the UN marches into the war zone, it seems to make what would be peace if everyone played by the rules, but instead ends up as genocide of those who play by the rules which is committed by those who don't.
Or as Auraptor says, to rape and pillage.
But I disagree that it should be kicked out of New York, it just needs radical reform to be what it was intended to be: an international table for negotiation, nothing more. ie. It doesn't need to be kicked out of NYC. It needs to be kicked out of everywhere else in the world.
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Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:Quote:
Originally posted by kaneman:
The UN is funded by the US... I say kick'em out of NYC let'em fend for them selves. Well' it's true
I live in NYC. I get to watch these drunkin diploooo types make asses of them selves on the American dime...Fuck 'em
I can't believe I'm saying this...I...I...I...I agree with Kaneman. *twitch*
Good to see your coming around fredgiblet!! That *twitching* will stop eventually...Well it's true....*Twitch*
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Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
A couple of books critical of the U.N. have shown up on the 'new books' shelves of the local libraries.
One is "The Global War on Guns", by Wayne LaPierre, executive VP of the NRA. He notes that most U.N. initiatives concerning the 'illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons' seem to be focused on individual sporting firearms owners, rather than stuff like heavy machine guns and rocket launchers used by paramilitaries. He also mentions the U.N.s almost complete inability to prevent, or even define, genocide, and the pervasive sexual exploitation of people being 'protected' by U.N. Peacekeepers.
The other is "The U.N. Exposed" by correspondent Eric Shawn, who covers the U.N. for Fox News. His book spends a good bit of time on the "Oil for Food" scandal, noting that France, Russia, and China blocked any meaningful oversight of the program, while actively contraverting it by selling weapons to Iraq (some of which were used to down American planes and destroy U.S. tanks. When this was brought to the attention of the U.N. Secretatiat, nothing was done.
I especially enjoyed the saga of Benon Sevan, the Oil for Food progran director, who claimed that the $160,000 cash he deposited wasn't from oil allocations, as shown in Iraqi files, but gifts from his aunt, who lived in Cyprus on a $1,200.00 a month pension. Unfortunately she was unable to confirm this, having fallen down an elevator shaft to her death right after the Volcker commission began investigating the program
In the interest of fairness, I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a book or two which portray the U.N. in a better light.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
That book doesn't exist if it's non-fiction you fancy. However, if you like make-believe, there are many wonderful stories about the UN or "similar" orgs. Well it's true.
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